


Introductions

by Martienne



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-09
Updated: 2014-08-09
Packaged: 2018-03-23 12:15:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3767803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Martienne/pseuds/Martienne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every member of a team needs to know the others. Meeting them isn't always what you expect, though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Introductions

> Tex and North, Theta's first time meeting Tex

Precision and accuracy. Among all the other qualities a Freelancer was meant to possess, these were among the most important. Not much good going after enemies if you couldn’t shoot ‘em, after all.

“So, you got a name, kid?”

North fired off another shot before glancing over at Tex. She was in the next lane of the shooting range. It was kind of odd, being at the shooting range at this hour. Not many people stayed up during the gamma shift, but North often found himself in this situation. So, he figured, why not get some training in now and then? Besides, it gave his AI something to concentrate on, gauging his proficiency for him.

“She’s talking to you, I think,” North said.

 “To me?” The little hologram looked over at Tex, outfitted in her sleek black armor. He didn’t respond otherwise, withdrawing just a bit.

“He’s Theta,” North answered for him, realizing the AI felt a bit too shy to engage in conversation.

“Theta,” Tex repeated. “You know you don’t have to be afraid of me. It’s not like I can hurt you.”

“You could hurt North,” Theta said. “Couldn’t you?”

“Sure,” Tex said. “I could beat the hell out of him in hand-to-hand.” She dropped her clip to reload. “Maybe not in sharp-shooting, though.”

Her teasing tone didn’t seem to appease Theta. “To me it sounds like I should be afraid.”

“There’s a difference between being able to do something and being the kind of person who would do it,” North said. “Tex and I, we’re part of a team. Freelancers are all part of a team, right Theta?”

“Yeah,” Theta said slowly. “But what if someone decides they don’t want to be part of the team anymore?”

“What happens then would be their own fault,” Tex replied. She fired off three more shots, all in a row.

North could feel Theta’s doubts about her grow. Theta’s biggest worry these days seemed to be that North would get hurt, and that sort of talk didn’t help appease his fears. “What she means is that we look out for our own,” North told him. “She has no reason to turn against me.”

“But if she made a mistake,” Theta said doubtfully, “if she made a mistake, she could hurt someone who doesn’t deserve it.”

“I don’t make those kinds of mistakes,” Tex said, and looked over at him.

North felt Theta flinch, sort of a glitch in his programming, and then the AI reached for a safe place to linger in North’s head.

“You can retire, Theta,” North said. He waited until the AI’s hologram to disappear before speaking again. “Sorry about that. He’s just nervous.”

It seemed that Tex didn’t intend to answer, but after a long moment she spoke. “Sometimes a little healthy fear isn’t a bad thing. It can be the difference between life and death.”

“True.” North dropped the magazine out of his rifle so he could turn it in to the quartermaster. “And I think Theta does understand that. He’s just intimidated by new people sometimes.”

“There’s not much room for that kind of thing here,” Tex said, and fired off four more shots.

“No.” North turned to go return his rifle. “No, there isn’t.”


End file.
